He gave a careless shrug. ‘Because you’re feeling guilty? You know I hate you going away, so when you’re home you pile in and try to polish me up … so you won’t have to worry about me when you leave the next time.’

Again, his assessment was not far off the mark. She did worry about him and would rather not have to. ‘I only feel guilty because you make me,’ she said quietly. She hadn’t tasted her wine. The quantities of strong coffee she’d recently consumed had turned to acid in her stomach.

He stared stonily ahead, as if she hadn’t spoken.

‘Are you saying you’re fine as you are, if only I would stop nagging you?’

‘No. I’m not saying that. I’m not fine. I’m bloody lonely when you’re away. That’s why I’m on my phone all day. With my back playing up, it’s my only companion.’ At another time, his blatant self-pity would have made Connie laugh. ‘And I can’t properly settle to anything because then you come home and interrupt, expect me to be on tap again.’

‘Settle to what?’ She knew she sounded dismissive, but he, a grown man, was being so childish, so unfair, she could barely control her irritation.

Devan drew himself up, crossing his arms. ‘OK, I’ll tell you. I want to do a history degree with the Open University. I want to learn to sail. I want to walk the Pennine Way … like you always said we would.’

Connie was silenced. Yes, they’d often discussed that walk over the years. But the history degree and the sailing were entirely new. He’d never suggested he might be interested in doing either. Was this real, or was he just making something up to throw her? She barely knew him enough, these days, to answer her own question.

Deciding to call his bluff, she said, ‘Well, that’s great. Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you’d do something medically related, but sailing sounds fantastic.’ He didn’t respond, maintaining his aggrieved expression, so she went on, ‘Tell me more, Devan.’ He let out another long sigh, his face softening. But he still didn’t speak, just bowed his head and began picking at his thumbnail. ‘I’m not stopping you doing any of those things, you know.’

Silence fell.